Collegium Marianum – Týn Vocational School is an educational and cultural organisation specializing in the area of historical arts in Prague, Czech Republic. In collaboration with the Charles University, Faculty of Education, the organisation has been providing a BA study programme in Church Music Conducting and in Early Music Performance Practice.

Since 2000, the focus of the organisation’s cultural activity has been the international festival of early music. The Summer Festivities of Early Music form the only festival showcase of music of historic artistic styles in Prague. The Festival is the gateway through which leading interpreters from abroad make their entry into Prague. Thanks to a thematic, innovative dramaturgy, modern premieres represent a high percentage of festival projects. The Festival is unique in its reach into the field of baroque theatre and dance. A characteristic part of these productions are the period costumes, original choreography, and baroque gesture, rhetoric and makeup.

One of the priorities of the Festival is to link beautiful architecture with music of corresponding styles. The unique historic surroundings facilitate an unmistakeable atmosphere which has its origins in the performance of music on original instruments, and the unusual acoustic experiences linked with it.

In 1997, the ensemble in residence Collegium Marianum was founded. In its regular concert series it gives performances of the 17th- and 18th-century music mainly from the provenience of Central Europe. In its musical as well as scenic productions the ensemble has collaborated with renowned choreographers, directors, conductors and soloists coming from abroad. Such modern premieres, scenic or semi-scenic projects are presented in each festival edition. In 2010 Collegium Marianum ensemble was awarded for the credits of quality and for the general propagation of the Czech Music by the Czech Music Council – the Czech section of non-governmental organization the International Music Council (IMC) of UNESCO.

The festival is kindly supported by the City of Prague and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Among traditional partners belong The Embassy of Spain, The Royal Netherlands Embassy, French Institute Prague, Instituto Cervantes, Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds, Festival de Sablé in France end others.

Responses from both public and press have shown again and again that the Summer Festivities of Early Music have, since their founding in 2000, become an inseparable part of the Prague summer music scene. Its events are renowned internationally, and help to place Prague among the leading cultural metropolises of Europe.